The foothills of the Kuju mountains in Central Kyushu (Oct 2018)
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
‘Do not be surprised when I say: You must be born from above. The wind blows wherever it pleases; you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. That is how it is with all who are born of the Spirit.’
How sweet the sound! This passage brings to mind the paradoxes of the transient and the intransigent – the thoughtful and the thought-provoking; the liberty of the random mind and the freedom of mindfulness. We will never know how or when we will chance upon Its manifestation on earth, and on the winds of the Spirit, how and where it will carry us to ….
We can only trust that the Spirit carries us where we ought to be. In the foothills of the Kuju mountains in Central Kyushu, golden pampas grass reeds shimmer in the autumn sun. The swirling wind is breathtaking, but it is invisible in the image – what is apparent is its effect on those that it touches.
See also:
Gospel John 3:7-15
No-one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man who has come down from heaven Jesus said to Nicodemus: ‘Do not be surprised when I say: You must be born from above.The wind blows wherever it pleases; you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. That is how it is with all who are born of the Spirit.’ ‘How can that be possible?’ asked Nicodemus. ‘You, a teacher in Israel, and you do not know these things!’ replied Jesus.‘I tell you most solemnly, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence. If you do not believe me when I speak about things in this world, how are you going to believe me when I speak to you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven; and the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’
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Lumix G85; Lumix 12-35mm Kuju mountains. Kyushu, Japan October 2018